Posted on 03/11/2026 7:23:49 AM PDT by dennisw
Some rumored Windows 12 features could frustrate users and be the reason Linux finally starts looking better.
First off, the rumor about a 2026 release for Windows 12 is not true. Someone translated a German article about Windows 12 releasing in 2026, and it proved to be untrue (and was later retracted). Second, there are a lot of other "speculations" as to what Windows 12 will be like.
What could cause a large migration? I'm going to set the rumors aside, and instead, focus on what I believe will happen (based on the past, the present, and the future of technology). It's all about AI.
Microsoft is heavily invested in Copilot and has zero intention of backing down from its AI. Although many have claimed the rumors that Microsoft is planning on plunging Windows 12 deeper into artificial intelligence waters are false, I would argue that they are true.
Let me explain.
Also: The 6 Linux distros I expect to rule 2026 - as someone who's tested hundreds (and for decades)
AI started as third-party services that consumers could use. Those services then transformed into paid services. The paid services were soon replaced by free services, by way of various integrations. For example, the Opera browser gave us Aria, which we could all use for free. Google gave us Gemini. Apple gave us Apple Intelligence (sort of?), and Microsoft gave us Copilot.
AI then evolved into agentic AI, which could automate tasks like shopping, and that agentic AI started filtering into various browsers (some free, some not).
Then, AI started trickling its way into operating systems, with Copilot, Gemini, and Apple Intelligence becoming more and more deeply embedded. All of a sudden, AI was integrated into web browsers, email, notes, office suites, and more. What this meant is that user-facing apps were now intrinsically tied to AI.
The next evolution Here's where I think this goes with regard to Windows (ergo, Windows 12):
AI will take the place of Windows Service Manager, so users won't have to worry about managing services. AI will take control of software updates. AI will begin reading what's on users' screens (so it always has context for what users are asking). AI will be used for natural language system control (such as "I need to close the app that's consuming the most RAM"). AI will be capable of local processing (which will require even more powerful systems). AI will be able to monitor long-running tasks (such as research), and will be able to assist in that process. AI will be used for semantic search on the desktop. AI will be used for data collection. As you can see, I believe AI will be so deeply embedded in the next iteration of Windows that it will be impossible to break that tie. If you want an AI-less Windows, you'll be out of luck, and once Microsoft makes that change, there will be no going back.
At the same time, the Windows UI probably won't undergo much of a change, and it will most likely include even more ads and more data collection.
Also: I've used Windows for decades, but I tried Linux to see if it's truly 'easy' now - and one thing surprised me
When you put all of this together, it points to migration. Users are only willing to take so much before they finally break and change, and Windows 12 might be the metaphorical straw v. camel. And I believe that what we'll see with Windows 12 will make the migration from Windows 10 to Linux look quaint.
And then, you add to that the continued evolution of the Linux desktop into something that any user (of any skill level) can work with and enjoy (without all the caveats that come with Windows), and you have a perfect storm. Linux on the desktop will never:
Include ads. Be deeply interwoven with AI. Require users to purchase a new PC. Collect user information or track users' behavior. Cost a penny. Sounds appealing, right? Well, the combination of where Windows is going and where Linux is not going will have consumers flocking to the open-source operating system.
And there you have my take on the whole Windows 12/Linux debate.
“Install Linux on an old laptop and use it for a week ...”
That statement right there is key and may be the straw that breaks M$ back. Most if not all flavors of Linux require far less hardware resources than recent Windoze versions. I once had a version of OpenSuse running on a laptop with 1Mb RAM and 250Mb HD. It was for an ailing relative who needed email, web browsing, and a few other simple things. It worked for years.
Windoze 11 says it can run in 8Mb RAM but a really responsive system needs 32Mb and a huge storage. Plus that secret chip requirement - what Bull-shiite!
But the biggest issue Linux may have to overcome is specialty products developer’s unwillingness to port their Windoze version to Linux. Adobe Reader is one such example. When asked when a Linux version will be available they responded ‘Never’. So fine - to h3ll with them. These are dozens of PDF readers available for Linux. M$ Office? who needs that stuff when LibreOffice for Linux will do almost exactly the same thing including file compatibility with M$ documents, spreadsheets, databases, etc.
Nope. Linux has GIMP as the closest thing to Photoshop and I imagine there's something similar to Lightroom.
There's also ImageMagik which is wild because it's a command line tool for manipulating images. Yes, you do things with images without viewing them. It's actually very powerful and installed on most every web server. That's how social media sites and even most blogs can take that HUGE digital camera image and shrink the size in pixels and also the size in bytes/megabytes(optimize) etc so that the web page they end up on won't take minutes to load and the server hard drive won't fill up. There's a reaon image upload is not a thing here on FR. Oodles of disk space required. Many forums do allow image uploads and I'm sure all of them utilize ImageMagic to turn that 4gb cat pic from soneone's phone or digital camera into a 200 kb cat pic.
It's like Photoshop's Batch Process but photoshop will open each one graphically, even if only for a few seconds, and may freeze your system. ImageMagik just plows through them in the text version of them.
My sister is into genealogy and we have hundreds of old pics that had been scanned. She wanted them on a genealogy website so I ran them all through ImageMagik with a maximum dimension limit of 1024x1024px while keeping the existing aspect ratio and also optimized them for small file size while keeping them sharp. Got the commands from the web and pasted them into the terminal. Did a couple hundred pics in a minute and put the new optimized copy in a different folder I created and chose. I have that command saved for if I ever need to optimize a large batch of jpg images again.
Shotwell is a photo organizer and DarkTable sounds like the equivalent to lightroom. Both get good reviews.
There is no shortage of info on GIMP out there on the web, reddit, youtube etc. There's a Windows version so the userbase is quite large. There may be more Windows users than Linux at this point due to the price of Adobe products.
Other Linux graphics programs are InkScape for vector based images - svg is native and png is commonly exported from it. Krita for digital drawing, 2D animation, popular to use with graphic drawing tablets.
Post #40? You’re slipping.
Yeah, memory prices have shot way up. I really need to double the DRAM in my wife’s mini-PC. It may be cheaper to buy a used PC and scavenge, than buy new, or even used DRAM itself...
Probably not quite a hack. Linux can simply see Window’s full file system. I can see every file in my Windows 7 installation on this dual boot system.
Log into windows and I can only see windows aka C: drive. I’ve also opened password protected PDF files that were created in windows. Linux simply ignored the password protection.
Hiren’s Boot CD (now usb) has been a repair utility disc for Window’s for decades. It runs a bootable version of Linux with various hard drive and hardware tools to figure out that Blue Screen of Death.
YOUR best bet MAY be to find a refurb Win 11 PC on Amazon or eBay. But, be sure it has at least a “7th gen” i-series processor or equivalent in it, as Microsoft may not support the machine.
Something under $250 should be available, but, be sure to get enough RAM (which HAS really shot up in price, driving refurbs up too.) I’d get 16 GB at least. Also be sure on eBay to buy from a reputable seller with lots of feedback - maybe do some communicating back and forth to see if they’ll reliably respond, be helpful, etc.
Did you try WINS?
The chief difference is that Micro$loth OSes are NOT open source. G**gle's Android Open Source Project (AOSP) & ChromiumOS are Free and Open Source (FOSS). Which leaves individuals and businesses free to modify them, remove all of G**gle's spyware and crapware, and market them as their own.
Point of fact, there are successful 3rd-party Androids available, such as LineageOS, CalyxOS, and (the aptly-named) Paranoid Android.
So if G**gle remains true-to-form, if they produce an Android OS for desktop, they probably will also release an FOSS generic derivative as well, that can be used without completely surrendering your privacy to Debil G**gle.
So game, set and match, G**gle.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LineageOS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CalyxOS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranoid_Android
There's an Android app called Termux which lets you open a Linux terminal window on the phone. In my case, from there I can download Python and run simple python scripts after downloading various python modules the scripts need. It's truly a lot of fun.
I did so more than a year ago: on a 14+ year-old Toshiba laptop that couldn’t support Win 11. My particular flavor is Mint. It’s mostly easy to use, and there are at least 2 discussion forums where I get help when I need it. There are some programs in Windows I’m not ready to do without, but I can see the day coming. Playing around with it helps keep my aging mind limber!
Interesting stuff. Thank you.
Excellent points. Thank you.
I once went to a Microsoft Bootcamp school in a 3rd-world country (don't ask, it seemed like a good idea at the time). It was a "Gold Star" MS facility but they were running their training "labs" on bootleg Win2K servers, which they had lost the log-in passwords to. I was travelling with a copy of a 'hacker's' CD known as Hiren's Boot CD (what kind of geek would I be if I didn't?), which I booted their servers off, accessed the HDD like NTFS had no protection whatsoever, and blanked out the administrator's PW so next time it was booted, it would ask the user to input one.
They made me a god (unofficially, of course).
https://www.hirensbootcd.org/howtos/#collapse-1-208
Microslop should skip 12 and go right to the traditionally unlucky 13.
We techies swear by Hirens Boot CD. I keep it on a USB thumbdrive when I travel.
[[I’m a data center rat for a giant, evil corporation that I won’t name right now.]]
Dr Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated? (From the cartoon Finnius and Ferb lol)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHtq-mlzY7s
LOL- Best post yet!
I think i may be one of those switching to Linux for my desktop. I’m on win 11. The only thing I’m concerned about is that I have a few programs that are kind of specialized.
What is an NVR? Something video recorder??
“I think i may be one of those switching to Linux for my desktop. I’m on win 11. The only thing I’m concerned about is that I have a few programs that are kind of specialized.”
You can fully install Linux into a 32gb flash drive. It will live inside that flash drive. Though 64gb size might be better long term. I would install Linux Mint.
So boot up to your Linux flash drive for your Linux to use the your Windows 11 hardware. Even better than a flash drive is buy a used or new 256GB NVME drive and a USB enclosure for it. Install Linux into NVMe drive. It will function as a faster flash drive. Linux will pop with that arrangement.
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